“Understood,” Agnes said. “I’m too tired anyway and just want some sleep.”

  “Pilot?” the man asked.

  Vasquez held his hands up in mock surrender, then slapped the rotund official on the shoulders. “Not a problem. Air Force promise.”

  “It is my experience that you lot cause the most trouble. Maybe I should put you in the brig now.”

  “Ha. I like this guy. He’s funny.”

  Vasquez brushed past the man and headed for the red door. Kora kept her eyes to the polished metal grate flooring and followed.

  The entertainment rooms were a seizure-inducing cacophony of noise and lights. Some were just large screens playing different sports. Men and women sat at tables with drinks, cheering at whatever game they were watching. Some were libraries. Hair salons. Tattoo shops. Pharmacies. Oxygen bars. Bath houses and steam rooms. Massage.

  “See you on the flipside,” Vasquez said, heading to the next bank of elevators.

  “Behave. We might need a fast exit.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  Agnes rolled her eyes at Rose. “That’s why I like women. Men are too much headache. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Four?” Rose said.

  “Four. Usual spot.”

  Once Agnes was gone, Rose took Kora’s hand. “C’mon. Let’s have some fun while we can.”

  The last room was filled with video game pods. All Kora could see was people climbing into egg-shaped cocoons wearing black suits with glowing lines of white. Nothing like the console games in Lincoln.

  “Total immersive virtual reality,” Rose said. “Want to try it?”

  “We’re not going down yet?”

  “Can’t. Our agent isn’t on shift for another four hours.”

  Kora nodded and walked to the counter, which was fully automated. After a machine had scanned her whole body, a door slid open, revealing a black suit, shoes, gloves, soft helmet and visor. Rose got her own set and showed Kora to the dressing rooms.

  “Do I put it over my clothes?”

  “You can. It’s better if you wear nothing under the immersion suit.”

  “Ew. Other people have been wearing it.”

  “They’re steamed and disinfected. Nothing to worry about.”

  The suit was loose in Kora’s hands and she slipped into it with ease. The shoes, gloves, helmet and visor were too big. “It doesn’t fit.”

  “Tap your chest twice above your heart.”

  “Okay.”

  Everything hummed and tightened. A pleasant sensation coursed through her body. The visor activated, showing green arrows. Kora followed them, and was amazed to find that, when she held up her gloved hand, it looked like her normal flesh. Rose appeared next to her, and together they climbed into the next available pod.

  “What do you want to do?” Rose said.

  “Like what?”

  “TIVeR gives you the ability to visit anywhere at any time. Real or imagined. For example, you could visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, or Machu Picchu.” Rose did something, and the blank white screen that had been surrounding them whirled, then stopped. Kora found herself standing in a brown sandy desert looking up at triangle-shaped structures. “Or go skydiving.” The scene changed again. Now they were falling through air, high above some flat landscape. Wind whistled in her ears.

  Kora’s heart pounded in her chest. “Not this.”

  The blank white reappeared.

  “Fuck.”

  “Sorry.”

  “That was horrifying. I’d like to visit somewhere, but I forgot its name.”

  “Describe it out loud. The computer will give you options.”

  Kora grimaced, trying to pull up the memory of all the sights Doug had shown her when she had first arrived at Helstrop’s. So much had happened since that day.

  “Um. White sail-shaped rocks. Gold sand beaches. A hole in the rock near the sea. Tree with red flowers.”

  The scene changed to the one she had seen that day in the vehicle. Its name flashed in her visor: Cathedral Cove, New Zealand circa 2018 Y/N.

  “Yes,” Kora said.

  Immediately, things changed. The sound of waves crashing on rocks filled her ears. Birds squawking. When she inhaled, the scents of the seaside filled her nostrils. Salt. Seaweed. A slight tang of rotting fish. Beneath her feet, the sand crunched. She looked down and saw she was wearing a black bikini.

  Rose ran up beside her, wearing a blue and white-striped one piece, her hair flowing out behind her. “You can change the colour or style of your swimsuit.”

  “I like this.”

  Kora giggled, caught up in the immenseness of the experience. It was like she was actually there, at that point in time. She ran down to the water’s edge and kicked up spray. This was the paradise she had imagined when Simon had told her of the surface. This was what she’d seen before Helstrop pulled down the veil, revealing the real world. This was what she wanted to fight for.

  A world where everyone had a promise of a tomorrow.

  After a couple of hours of swimming, exploring the beach and surrounding forests, Rose changed the scene to one of the desert. A vast expanse of scrub and funny-looking stumpy trees spread out in front of Kora. The sky slowly darkened, and she gasped. Stars, millions of them, spread from horizon to horizon. Rose took her hand and together they lay down on the sandy soil, staring up at the Milky Way. It was everything she could have hoped for.

  “Where is this place? It’s beautiful.”

  “Joshua Tree National Park. My parents took me here when I was a child. A long time ago.”

  “I freaking love it.”

  “It’s just sand now. The trees have gone. Been a hundred years or more since it looked like this.”

  “It must be surreal, or whatever, living so long.”

  “You get used to it.”

  “Don’t you forget things, though? I can’t recall anything from before I was four.”

  Rose tapped her right temple. “Not when you’re engineered.”

  “Ah right. How old are you?”

  “One hundred and sixty-one.”

  “No way! You look thirty, at most.”

  “That’s very kind. We age the same way as Gnats until we turn twenty-one, then everything slows dramatically. A year for you is four months for us.”

  Kora did a quick calculation; she had always found maths easy. “So, you could live to two hundred and fifty?”

  “Yes. That’s the average. Some Thule have lived longer. There’s a rumour that the former president is three hundred, but no one has seen him in years.”

  A red light flashed in Kora’s visor.

  “Time’s up,” Rose said. “We need to meet with Agnes.”

  Back in the changing room, Kora dressed in her cool suit and red coveralls. There was so much more she wanted to ask the resistance fighter. The surface world was a fascinating but terrifying place. Lincoln, as quirky as it was, didn’t seem so bad now.

  “Let’s do this,” Agnes said as they joined her in the main foyer. “Head down and follow me.”

  Instead of going back to the main elevators, Agnes took them deeper, to a level where the support staff worked. No one paid them any attention as they walked through the kitchen, down a long corridor, and descended several flights of stairs. When they arrived at an elevator, Agnes saluted the camera above it and the door whisked open. She inserted a pen-like object into a port above the buttons, and a button marked MH lit up. A panel opened in the wall above it, and Agnes handed out three rebreathers. Two seats on each wall folded down, and Kora copied Rose and Agnes by strapping in. Agnes leaned forwards in her seat and pressed the MH button again.

  “Descending,” a robotic voice said.

  The elevator lurched slightly and Kora felt the pressure in her ears drop a little. She swallowed and shut her eyes. She hoped she would be in time.

  CHAPTER 20

  The Labyrinth.

  Pacific Sea Floor Mining Complex.

  Nox rested his muzzle on Eli’s leg, his yellow eyes playfully watching Eli as he cleaned his rifle.

  “Like that?” Eli asked.

  “Looks good,” Jade said. “You’ll be in an elite squadron in no time.”

  “Sexless? Not if I have anything to do about it.” Ley chuckled at her own joke.

  Smiling, Eli drew out Nox’s favourite toy of a rolled towel, taped at the ends, for a game. Nox gripped it between his teeth and growled as he tugging it, hard enough Eli had to tighten his grip. Back and forth they went, pulling and letting go.

  Nox suddenly stopped and twitched his ears forwards.

  “Movement,” Colter said, his voice fuzzy over the radio. “Here they come.”

  In a split second, everyone was all business. Nox forgot about his toy after Eli snapped his fingers. Eli pulled out his commpad and activated it as Jade and Ley took up sniper positions. Checking on the mole rats, Eli was happy to see them still snoozing next to the chewed-up buggy tires, the two families a few metres apart. He kept his eyes firmly on the tunnel entrance and watched as the mercs approached slowly, then brought their vehicle to a stop.

  The mole rats woke up and shrieked at the intruders, the adults moving in front of the juveniles. One of the mercs jumped out and fired his rifle, killing a large male and scattering the rest. The other mercs hopped out and moved over to the buggy. Eli waited until all the mercs were close to it, then pressed his commpad. There was barely a thump as the charges Colter had set around the fuel cell exploded. Dense white smoke poured from the back of the vehicle. Every merc swivelled to scan the cavern through their rifle sights, searching for targets. Eli knew the ledge they were hiding on would block small ballistic fire, but if the mercs decided to launch a few grenades, they were screwed. His plan had banked on the suspicion Zapata wanted them alive. If the former commander hadn’t drowned in the Glittering Cavern, he would want to finish the job himself. Obsession was a tough cross to bear, and the former commander had a large one with their names carved over every surface.

  The mercs fired, peppering the rocks around where Eli, Nox, Ley and Jade hid. Round after high-velocity round smacked into the rock. Nox flattened his ears as the mole rats shrieked, the sound so high-pitched and long, it easily penetrated the din of the weapons. The bullets striking their hiding place slowed, then stopped altogether as the shrieks increased. Risking a peek over the ledge, Eli saw a scene of carnage. The beasts, seeing the mercs covered in the fuel they craved, had attacked with unbridled ferocity. Several of the mercs had been caught flat-footed and were on the ground, wrestling with rodents trying to bite through their armoured suits. The quickest of the mercs dropped a couple of mole rats, then spun, seeking another kill shot. Jade and Ley let loose with a barrage of their own. Their bullets struck a weak point in the suit — at the hip, where the armour was thinner. Though not fatal, it was enough to wound the merc. He staggered forwards under a succession of shots. The mole rats, already in a frenzy, went berserk, throwing themselves at the mercs and tearing at them. A merc screamed as his arm was torn from its socket to hang loosely at his side. Using his good arm, he drew a long-bladed weapon and killed the rodent with a stab under the throat. As he got up, another one barrelled into him. Still the mercs fought with valour. Three regrouped and killed several of the rats with precise shots to the head.

  “More rodents incoming,” Colter said.

  Not a surprise. The mole rats had an excellent sense of smell. Any rodent within a couple of kilometres would have detected the hybrid fuel.

  “Keep them busy. We need more time,” Eli said. He adjusted his aim for the suit joints, peppering them until the merc dived to one side.

  “Move,” Jade warned, yanking on Eli’s leg. Nox growled as a new barrage of rounds sent slivers of rock in all directions.

  Eli wriggled backwards, happy to be out of the line of fire. If they weren’t careful, the mercs would advance on their position and cut them down. And that would suck after everything they had been through. Perhaps relying on the mole rats to do their dirty work for them had been the wrong call.

  He always struggled with making decisions. At the time of making them, he was confident. But, if something went wrong or he followed the wrong lead, Eli could spend days, even weeks, thinking about it, analysing it from all angles.

  Nox pushed his body against Eli’s and licked his face. Pushing the overthinking out of his mind, Eli risked a peek. There were only four mole rats left, and two mercs. The rodents were circling, shrieking at the armoured men.

  “Colter. Any time now.”

  “Almost there.”

  Seconds later, the merc’s vehicle zipped forwards and knocked the mercs down. Eli, Ley, Nox and Jade sprinted from their hiding spot and jumped in. Colter floored it and ran over the mercs for a second time. The buggy bounced and something crunched.

  They zoomed out of the ambush cavern and back into the labyrinth. As they reached a rail junction, Colter yanked the steering wheel hard right and wedged the vehicle behind a large drilling machine. The ground rumbled as a horde of mole rats scampered towards the spilt fuel. Their squeaks of excitement became so loud, Nox lifted his head and howled like a wolf at a full moon. Ley hugged the Alsatian and gawked open-mouthed at the sheer number of mole rats moving past.

  “Never seen that many before,” Ley said.

  “Probably the combination of the thumpers and the fuel,” Colter said. “Remember that drilling crew that disturbed that nest a few years back and got torn to shreds? That was for similar reasons. Jess told me they had to weld new plating around the fuel cells after that. Poor Jess.” Colter opened his backpack and took out an odd-shaped bottle of Carlos 1520 brandy. “Been saving this for an occasion. Thought it was time to honour our fallen friend.” He produced some shot glasses and poured a nip each.

  Eli held the liquid up to the dim light. “Be at peace, friend. You have returned to the universe.”

  “Be at peace,” Colter and Ley repeated.

  “Peace,” Jade said. After she downed her drink, she made a whistling sound through her teeth. “That’s good stuff. Must be old.”

  “Is it, Eli? You found it,” Colter said.

  Shrugging, Eli said, “I think so. Got it from Jill Baker when we brought her husband back after he ran. She said something about being in the family a long time.”

  “People run because of the Census, right?” Jade said.

  “Yeah. For most people, it eats away at them. The thought that you could be reassigned with no warning. Ripped away from your family. Your friends. Everyone you know and trust. One day, the life you know is gone. You have to start over, and all you can think is, well, that sucks.”

  “Not you guys, though?”

  “Nope,” Colter said, pouring everyone another shot. “Legion, council, religious leaders and Watchers — and their families — are exempt.”

  Eli chugged back the liquor and enjoyed the sensation as it warmed his oesophagus on its way down to his stomach. “A lot of people look at us as if we are responsible for it. There is a lot of anger towards us as a result. No trust. Makes investigations tiresome. Anyway, let’s go already.”

  Colter nodded, and soon the buggy was back on the main railway, travelling northwest.

  After two hours with no sign of pursuit, Jade guided Colter back to the floodgate and opened the side door.

  “I’ll hide the vehicle,” Colter said.

  “No need.”

  Jade reached inside and pressed something. Another section of the tunnel-wide gate opened, revealing a space big enough for the buggy. Colter had to do some nifty parking to get it in between a set of shelves but managed it with Ley’s and Jade’s help. Nox ran around the new area, sniffing everything, and let out a few excited yelps.

  “Before I close this, I need to know you guys are sure about doing this. Do you want to contact family and let them know you are safe?”

  Ley glanced at Colter and Eli, then said, “We talked about that before the attack. Hell, before we were thrown in jail. Because of that cursed journal, everything changed. People we loved have died over the fucking thing. If we can change the lives of Gnats by finding Fisher first and destroying the knowledge, then I am in. Hell yes.”

  “And I,” Eli said, “but promise us something right here and now.”

  “What?” Jade said.

  “We’re going to destroy the knowledge.”

  “That has been my goal from the beginning. I can’t guarantee that is the desired outcome for Succour.”

  Eli frowned.

  “I mean, it was. Things change. Noble cause corruption taints every organisation,” Jade said.

  “I don’t know what that means, but I’m in too,” Colter said.

  Nox barked, burying his muzzle into a stack of supplies. Chuckling, Jade pressed the control panel and both doors on the disguised floodgate whirred closed, plunging the room into darkness for a moment. Eli thought it fitting. Almost like one chapter of his life was closing and another was beginning.

  This had all started with Gabriel Dillion. She had kidnapped his niece Chloe and tried to run. It was because of her that Eli and Ley and gone to the Church of the Holy Cross, searching for answers, and discovered the handwritten journal in Cherry Nalder’s possession. At first, Eli had thought it strange, but had discounted its importance because Jeanette Sousa had run. The Nine. Simon/Zapata. Their plot to drown Lincoln and Pitt, then the all-out attack. So much violence for the knowledge one person held.

  He had no doubts about being involved.

  After sealing the doors, Jade led them down a long corridor lit by a white light source that seemed to hover on the wall, and into a large room. In the centre were two cylindrical stand-up chambers. Next to them was a workstation with sleek computer monitors. The rear wall held six lockers and three exit doors.

  “Something’s off,” Jade said, moving to a metal door at the rear of the room. It was slightly ajar. She poked her head through, then walked to a bank of monitors and switched them on.

  “Someone here?” Eli asked.